Passively Recommending Books

Suggestions for what to read while you wait for those holds on the Witcher books or are done binging the series. Dark fantasies or books with similar main characters are what you should look for. Search for "read likes for..." when you want to put up a display based upon whatever the most popular show on the streaming services is. 

Someone else at my library put up this display. The idea is cute - books with shoes on the cover or in the title. These sort of themes help people stumble on back list titles they may have missed. It can be tricky to fill in if you don't have ideas when you set it up. There are clearly tons of ways you could change this to suit your library's collection. Add non-fiction if you need to and grab some history of fashion or fashion books. I would even put books from health about podiatry in it!

Another librarian put together this book display with library themed romances. Be as broad as possible when setting up this sort of display. If a book has a librarian in it or library scene, it is enough. Romance is a genre rich with tropes so you can assemble a display that fits your collection or those titles that need some patron attention.  Alter the text on the sign and a quick and easy cozy mystery display could be put up with the same theme. 

As I have said before, faceouts are magical. These are simply a variety of titles that need a circulation boost. I have put up this display with a sign that simply had a sleepy puppy on it. Just being in front of your patrons' eyes can help them get the sort of attention they need. 

When Things Go Wrong book display with titles about disasters including some local/state titles. I borrowed this idea from ALA's Booklist. They have lists that are great jumping off points. This display could include fiction from any and all genres including horror, suspense, and thrillers.

People were thinking about the 20’s at the beginning of 2020 so I obliged them with a book display . First things to be taken from this display were books about fashion. In theory, you could put this up every year until 2030.  Pay at least some attention to what is bouncing around in popular culture; you can mine it for ideas for easy book displays that let you faceout backlist lonely books. 

Quick Neil Peart memorial book display . Fill in with books about drums, drummers, and rock music. Don't forget to add any CDs or DVDs that you have. Include info about digital services like Hoopla that have music available to check out would also be a great idea. 

Regardless of your personal thoughts about Kobe Bryant and his legacy, he was an important figure in sports. A teacher friend told me of young people in her school using "Kobe!" to mean skills... We added books about the NBA and basketball as these were checked out. These don't have to stay up long; I think this one was up for a little longer than a week. But when someone significant dies, they are on the minds of your patrons. Not everyone will ask for help so putting materials in front of them will help your circulation while also being great patron service. 

This is another easy book display that staff created. The titles will be familiar to your patrons, even if they are not readers. Sometimes patrons won't even realize that a popular movie was based upon a book. You can pair the books with DVD copies of the film if you have it. It's also a good idea to include a list of books and films that are in your collection, both digital and physical. 

This is clearly an easier theme for youth departments as there are usually at least a handful of books on every and any holiday.  Because it was in the news, I decided to use it as a way of highlighting titles by Chinese and Asian-American authors. You can search your ILS by subject heading to find titles in your collection. lf you don't have a lot, you have identified a hole in your collection. 

This display was put together by staff. It's fairly easy to both assemble and keep filled. One benefit is that it's a super easy way to put books in faceout that may have been overlooked. Faceouts are magical; they can help get books checked out that have sat, unloved and ignored, for years. They can be composed of any kind of material in your building so don't limit yourself.  When the "color of the year" is announced, it's a good time to try to find books that match that theme, both in color cover as well as title. Another idea for this sort of display include your local sports teams' colors - professional, college, or K-12. You could also use colors tied to a particular holiday if you wanted something super easy to throw up. 

Rosa Parks' birthday is a great subject for a book display that combines youth and adult titles.  Don't forget to include books from your biographies, African-American studies, and history books. This display sat away from all of those areas and was a way for patrons to be reminded of books that might not have searched out on their own. 

Black History Month doesn't have to just be displays with somber history. Remember to include the depth and breadth of the black experience and find some joyful subject to put out for your patrons. This display was fun to put together and emptied out very quickly. Again, I use a generic sign template so that I don't have to work as hard when it's time to replace it. 

When an author dies, particularly a popular author with a long back list, putting up a display of their work makes for an easy display that highlights titles that may not have seen much circulation lately. If you put it in a prominent place, it should empty out quickly but is easy to fill. Don't forget to include audiobooks and large print. 

A young adult book display  in the adult area! Unleashed! It’s read-alikes for PS I Love You by Jenny Han. Mix up your collection and put displays so people won’t expect them. Let fiction readers find non-fiction and people who don’t go to your teen area find young adult fiction. Not every patrons is familiar with every part of your building. Patrons who come in to use the computer may not think about picking up current young adult favorites. 

This display was a way to encourage patrons to read more about Mexico, Mexican Americans, migration, immigration, etc without being judgemental. You can encourage them to do a deeper dive on the subject as well as to read books by authors they may have not yet encountered. It was a mix of fiction and non-fiction and included a variety of genres. Read alike book displays allow your library to bring midlist and older titles to patrons' attention. 

Westerns circulate well at my library. We put them up several times a year, often when there is display fatigue. Another librarian set up the display and made the sign.  Large print westerns circulate better for us. This display is another example of moving books out of their regular home and into another area. It's also easy for anyone to fill. 

in Horror Month book display including audiobooks. Be as broad as possible in interpreting the genre when you put up genre-based book displays. For horror, that could include slipping in some suspense or thrillers. As always, check your display for inclusion.  Don't leave horror for October only; I guarantee you that people will check out horror all year. 

Black History Month display with titles from the 800's on literature and authors. This particular part of non-fiction does not generally circulate well at my library so this was a chance to highlight it in an area with more foot traffic.  The previous display emptied out. For month-long celebrations, I try to start with a list of ideas so I can replace them quickly. I also use a generic sign template. 

Clive Cussler book display put up after his passing in 2020 . These are easy to put up and can help circ backlist titles. Don't forget large print and audiobooks as well. Another suggestion would be to add a handout with information about your ebook collection if it includes the author's titles. 

One of my favorites, @RAforAll , asked for a Mardi Gras book display with New Orleans themed titles. I started with just fiction because that was the fastest and easiest. As the display emptied out, I added non-fiction and audiobooks. For non-fiction, some places to check are: biographies, music, cooking, history, and travel.

These are Edgar award nominees from the Mystery Writers of America. I always post the list with any display about awards as well. It can be filed in with other books by the nominated authors as well as winners and nominees from previous years. 

S t Patrick' Day is a great holiday for children's book displays. It's a holiday when school is in session so those teachers and homeschoolers will be coming for books. For adult books, I use it to highlight books about Ireland, fiction and nonfiction. Your collection likely includes many titles that would fit. Unless it's your only job, filling book displays can't take up all your time. I find it helpful to involve other staff in filling them because they will include books I didn't think about.

Women's History Month offers a lot of options but when given a chance, I will try to include some fiction. People who won't pick up a long history book will invest the time in a novel that appeals to them. Expand your definition of historical fiction and don't forget mysteries and romance. Your display should include a wide range of time periods and places. 

One of the changes I pushed for in my library was to relocate our biography section near fiction. People never dabble in non-fiction will make an exception for a good biography. Take a second to bring a diverse and inclusive collection of books to your display. Choose books about women from a variety of backgrounds, places, and time periods.  This display also is easy for anyone to fill in as it empties. Expanding who on staff helps to fill in a display like this will hopefully diversify what books are selected. 

This display was set up using the theme of The Year of the Rat as a frame to actually promote books by Chinese and Chinese-American authors. The size of the display can be dictated by the number of titles you find in your collection. People love to suggest displays with this sort of theme especially when it's bouncing around social media. I think the best use of the idea is to use it to put books in front of people that they might have not discovered on their own.  The display was popular and was refilled several times.